Pandoro Cake Recipe (Sweet Golden Italian Christmas Bread)

Share This Recipe!

Christmas holidays are finally here and so is our traditional Pandoro cake recipe that the whole family will love. This sweet golden Italian Christmas bread known as Pandoro cake is easy to make and much better than the store-bought stuff that tends to be dry and crumbly.

This Pandoro cake is typically made during the holiday season, Christmas and New Year, it’s a popular classic sweet golden Italian Christmas bread is sweet, buttery, and soft with a similar texture to a cake. The birthplace of Pandora cake is Verona Italy.

What makes this Italian sweet bread stand out from all the others is its unique eight-pointed star shape. After the Pandoro cake is baked and cooled, it gets inverted then dusted with icing sugar all over the top.

The Pandoro cake is made using a three-step dough process, first, the biga is prepared ahead, then the first dough is prepared with the biga followed by the final which will include flour, butter, eggs, sugar, honey, vanilla extract, orange and lemon zest. Don’t worry, I promise it’ll be easy to prepare with our simple step by step instructions.

Ready to make this delicious Pandoro cake? Lets do it!

Ingredients For Pandoro Cake Biga Dough:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (60 grams)
• 2 1/2 tablespoon warm water (37 grams)
• 1 teaspoon dry instant yeast (3 grams)

Ingredients For The Pandoro Cake Pre-dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 grams) 
• 5 teaspoons granulated sugar (25 grams) 
• 1 large egg (50 grams) beaten
• Biga (100 grams)

Ingredients For The Final Dough:

• Pre-dough (295 grams)
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (180 grams)
• 1 teaspoon dry instant yeast (3 grams)
• 2 teaspoon water (10 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (3 grams)
• 1 tablespoon honey (15 grams)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 2 large eggs (100 grams)
• 2 large egg yolks (40 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 grams)
• 2/3 cup of butter (150 grams) room temperature
• 1 teaspoon orange zest (2 grams)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (2 grams)
• 1/4 cup icing sugar (30 grams) for decorating

Instructions How To Make Pandoro Cake Biga?

• Using a medium-size bowl, add the yeast and water and mix together, let it stand for 10 minutes.
• Add in the flour and mix using your hands of a spatula until the dough begins to form. If you find the dough to stiff, add a teaspoon of water and continue to knead the biga dough until it is smooth.
• Place into a greased bowl covered with pastic and let it ferment at room temperature for 4 hours.

How To Make The Pandoro Cake Pre-dough?

• Place the flour, sugar, eggs into a mixing bowl with the hook attachment and mix on slow speed for 2 minutes.
• Add the biga and continue to mix on slow speed (setting 2) for 2 minutes then increase the speed and mix on high speed (setting 3) and continue to mix for about 6 minutes or until the dough is developed.
• Transfer the dough into a greased bowl, cover, and bulk ferment for 2 hours or until it has doubled in volume.

How To make Pandoro Cake Final Dough?

• Add the yeast into a small bowl with 2 teaspoons of water and mix together, let it stand for 10 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl with the hook attachment, add the flour, yeast mixture, honey, sugar, vanilla extract, whole eggs, egg yolk, salt, and mix on slow speed for 2 minutes.
• Add the pre-dough and continue to mix for 3 minutes.
• Increase the speed to setting 3 and mix for 2 minutes then gradually add the butter and continue to mix for about 15 minutes.
• Add in the orange and lemon zest and mix on high speed for 2 additional minutes or until the dough is fully developed. The dough should be smooth and stretchy with good elastic properties. You can do the windowpane test to ensure the dough is developed.
• Remove the dough and shape into a round boule.
• Coat a Pandoro pan with butter and place the shaped dough ball into the Pandoro pan with the seam facing outward.
• Cover the baking pan and let it rise for about 2 1/2-3 hours or until the dough reaches the top of the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 160°C  (320°F) and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the cake reaches 96°C.
• Remove the oven and cool for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan.
• Garnish with icing sugar and serve.

Pandoro Cake (Italian Sweet Bread)

Gina

This Pandoro cake is typically made during the holiday season, Christmas and New Year, it’s a popular classic sweet golden Italian Christmas bread is sweet, buttery, and soft with a similar texture to a cake. The birthplace of Pandora cake is Verona Italy

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Bulk Fermentation Plus Final Proof 6 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs

Course Breakfast, Christmas, Holiday

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 people

Calories 300 kcal

Equipment

• Pandoro Cake Pan

Ingredients

  

PANDORO CAKE BIGA DOUGH:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 60 grams
• 2 1/2 tablespoon warm water 37 grams
• 1 teaspoon dry instant yeast 3 grams

PANDORO CAKE PRE-DOUGH:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 120 grams
• 5 teaspoons granulated sugar 25 grams
• 1 large egg 50 grams beaten
• Biga 100 grams

PANDORO CAKE FINAL DOUGH:

• Pre-dough 295 grams
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 180 grams
• 1 teaspoon dry instant yeast 3 grams
• 2 teaspoon water 10 grams
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
• 1 tablespoon honey 15 grams
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
• 2 large eggs 100 grams
• 2 large egg yolks 40 grams
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 grams
• 2/3 cup of butter 150 grams room temperature
• 1 teaspoon orange zest 2 grams
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 grams
• 1/4 cup icing sugar 30 grams for decorating

Instructions

 

PANDORO CAKE BIGA

• Using a medium-size bowl, add the yeast and water and mix together, let it stand for 10 minutes.
• Add in the flour and mix using your hands of a spatula until the dough begins to form. If you find the dough to stiff, add a teaspoon of water and continue to knead the biga dough until it is smooth.
• Place into a greased bowl covered with pastic and let it ferment at room temperature for 2 hours.

PANDORO CAKE PRE-DOUGH

• Place the flour, sugar, eggs into a mixing bowl with the hook attachment and mix on slow speed for 2 minutes.
• Add the biga and continue to mix on slow speed (setting 2) for 2 minutes then increase the speed and mix on high speed (setting 3) and continue to mix for about 6 minutes or until the dough is developed.
• Transfer the dough into a greased bowl, cover, and bulk ferment for 2 hours or until it has doubled in volume.

PANDORO CAKE FINAL DOUGH

• Add the yeast into a small bowl with 2 teaspoons of water and mix together, let it stand for 10 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl with the hook attachment, add the flour, yeast mixture, honey, sugar, vanilla extract, whole eggs, egg yolk, salt, and mix on slow speed for 2 minutes.
• Add the pre-dough and continue to mix for 3 minutes.
• Increase the speed to setting 3 and mix for 2 minutes then gradually add the butter and continue to mix for about 15 minutes.
• Add in the orange and lemon zest and mix on high speed for 2 additional minutes or until the dough is fully developed. The dough should be smooth and stretchy with good elastic properties. You can do the windowpane test to ensure the dough is developed.
• Remove the dough and shape into a round boule.
• Coat a Pandoro pan with butter and place the shaped dough ball into the Pandoro pan with the seam facing outward.
• Cover the baking pan and let it rise for about 2 hours or until the dough reaches the top of the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the cake reaches 96°C.
• Remove the oven and cool for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan.
• Garnish with icing sugar and serve.

Keyword Christmas breads, Holiday cakes, Italian sweet bread, Pandoro, Pandoro cake, Pandoro sweet bread, sweet bread